In 1651 during the Edo Period the 11-year-old Ietsuna becomes the 4th Shogun leading his influential chief retainers to plot against each other to take the reins of power. The Hattori family a clan of Iga Ninjas who were f... more &raquoormer vassals and protectors of the previous Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu have since fallen from grace. Their third generation ancestor Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba) is now working as the master at public bathhouse in Edo City. Etsuko Shiomi Hiroyuki Sanada and Kenji Oba stars in this series. Extras include new interviews with Chiba and 12 page booklet on the series by Patrick Macias.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES/MIXED MARTIAL ARTS UPC: 787364713493&laquo less

Movie Reviews

Great Series

L. Chua | 08/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kage no Gundan Hattori Hanzo (Shadow Warriors) is an excellent series with a mix of drama and action. Sonny Chiba is great as Hattori Hanzo by portraying him with emotion. The rest of the cast did a great job and there is a heavy amount of big cast of guest actors and actresses. The action sequences are good to watch especially when Hanzo and his band of Iga ninjas finishes off the enemies. If you are big into jidaigeki (period drama), you might want to try and see this one. I've seen this series repeatedly over and over since I got a hold of it."

The Best Ninja TV Series-- Highly Reccommended

M. Rutkowski | Sacramento, CA | 03/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are into martial art movies and ninjas this is a must have. This is where Quentin Tarrentino got some of his ideas for his Kill Bill series. Hence the Taro Hanzo sword. It is in Japanese with english subtitles. The nice thing too about this series is it is not edited for American Television. So expect to see more blood shed and a little nudity. For mature audiences. Some may complain about the video quality, but you have to realize when the series was made. I feel the series is well written for the most part and draws your interest with excitement. Hanzo is one awesome respected ninja leading his Iga Clan of ninjas against evil in feudal Japan. Enjoy."

Shadows of iga

Robert Cisneros | mineralwells, wv United States | 05/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"anyone who loves ninja movies this is the collection you need. sonny chibaloosely recreates the life of noted ninja leader hanzo hattorie. and hisband of iga ninja these dvd's are awsome lots of action, intriege and passion. and true ninjutsu martial arts and weapons and explosives.its a must see for any and all practioners of ninjutsu.ive read thecurrent ninjutstu grand master Masaaki Hatsumi actually helped durring filming of these movies."

Classic Sonny Chiba - A Precursor to Kill Bill

Alan Adler | Los Angeles, CA | 10/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A must have for anyone interested in early Ninja/Samurai TV series from Japan. First in a series featuring Sonny Chiba (Chiba Shinchi) as Hattori Hanzo the chief of the Iga ninjas. Good action, decent storylines, and very good acting by a variety of supporting characters. Subtitling is decent and easy to read. This is one of the main sources of inspiration for Kill Bill. Only available in poorly copied bootleg VHS and DVDs for many years so it is great to have a quality transfer at a very reasonable price. I hope they put out the rest of the series soon."

The Standard for Ninja Television Drama

Steven Fujita | Long Beach, CA | 04/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like Ninja storylines, you'll love Kage No Gundan (this first series). Sonny Chiba plays Hattori Hanzo, the leader of the Igas who were framed and then relinquished of their duties as official spies for the Shogunate ten years prior. The Igas only want to be left alone and have peace in the land, but their successors, the Koga are paranoid that the Igas want their old title back. Meanwhile, the new Shogun is a child, and that is cause for political turmoil. The guardian of the new Shogun enlists Hanzo and his band to fight the bad guys and keep peace in the land. I think what makes this series great is the diversity of the episodes. Although it is formulatic (after all, it is a tv show from 1980), each episodes contains great action scenes, drama and comedy. Sonny Chiba is great in this, and it gives him the opportunity to play serious killer, understanding leader, and silly undercover guise. And if there is one thing that Japanese cinema, television included, does well, is that of the tragic romance - and sure enough, this series has it, which involves Hattori Hanzo. All in all, a great televison series."